How do you mean Sido? It ceased to the tallest when the first of the original Twin Towers surpassed it back in the 70s. Then it ceased to be the tallest for the second time yesterday when One World Trade Centre surpassed it.

em•pire
/ˈɛmpaɪər; for 8–10 also ɒmˈpɪər/ Show Spelled[em-pahyuhr; for 8–10 also om-peer] Show IPA
noun
1.
a group of nations or peoples ruled over by an emperor, empress, or other powerful sovereign or government: usually a territory of greater extent than a kingdom, as the former British Empire, French Empire, Russian Empire, Byzantine Empire, or Roman Empire.
2.
a government under an emperor or empress.
3.
( often initial capital letter ) the historical period during which a nation is under such a government: a history of the second French empire.
4.
supreme power in governing; imperial power; sovereignty: Austria’s failure of empire in central Europe.
5.
supreme control; absolute sway: passion’s empire over the mind.

When you resort to wikipidia to support your argument you have all ready lost, Oxford dictionary definition above.

Cultural influence is not what makes an empire, could you please show the nations or peoples that are ruled over by the US Congress.

An imperial political structure is established and maintained in two ways: (i) as a territorial empire of direct conquest and control with force (direct, physical action to compel the emperor’s goals), and (ii) as a coercive, hegemonic empire of indirect conquest and control with power (the perception that the emperor can physically enforce his desired goals).

Then remember that the US was once 13 colonies along the east coast of North America and ask your question again of the native Americans, Hawaiians, Aleutes, Puerto Ricans, Filipinos (at one stage), Samoans.

And that’s before we consider indirect influence from banana republics to Iran and Chile.

Please see above quote when thinking about using wikipidia as a reference also read what you post
“(direct, physical action to compel the emperor’s goals), and (ii) as a coercive, hegemonic empire of indirect conquest and control with power (the perception that the emperor can physically enforce his desired goals).”

Please name the US Emperor?

Again Non forced cultural influence is not imperial conquest, economic imperialism perhaps but if America kept its economic goodies to itself allot of Irish would be unemployed!

America has never had a policy of empire building, or aggresive military expansion outside of the continental United States.

Indirect influence is not empire building.

Next you will be telling me they are part of a zionist conspirocy to invade Palastine

As I said – you don’t need an emperor to have an empire. Empires don’t need to be autocratic. See Athens and Venice as two examples. And for that matter, the British Empire, since it was run by parliament and not directly by Victoria and co, though they nominally held the title.

Indirect influence, particularly when backed by force, is the very hallmark of imperialism.

Rather than post more links – google gunboat diplomacy, and its American version, Big Stick Diplomacy. Then Operation Boot, Banana Republic, Salvador Allende and US Carrier Groups. And to top it off, the impressive list of countries the US has bombed since the Second World War.

You don’t have to be a paranoid leftie to recognise that America has and continues to exert imperial power. The Bush Administration practically boasted about it.

” America has never had a policy of empire building, or aggresive military expansion outside of the continental United States”

They have. They have several hundred military bases around the world and they influence political parties, electorates, media, business leaders, all over the world through various ‘institutes’ and charities.